Cross — Tau Cross (present location) in Laghtagoona

A T-shaped cross carved from a single piece of limestone. The cross is in the Clare Heritage Museum in Corofin but originally stood on Roughan Hill close to the road from Kilnaboy to Kilfenora and adjacent to a cashel (CL016-052001-) and souterrain (CL016-052003-). A replica now stands in its place at its original location (CL016-052002-). The cross has been the subject of several theories as to its origin and was ‘removed’ and returned a number of times (Harbison 2009). It is named ‘Cross Inneenboy’ (the cross of the daughter of Baoth) on the OS 6-inch maps at its original location in Roughaun townland and may have been a termon cross or boundary marker for Kilnaboy. According to Harbison (2000, 57,59) it may have copied a T-shaped staff or crozier reliquary and he postulates that it was possibly part of an ancient pilgrimage route in North Clare. T-shaped croziers are depicted on a graveslab in Killinaboy (CL017-020014-), on the N side of the base of the Dysert O’Dea high cross (CL025-091004-) and on the E face of the Doorty Cross in Kilfenora (CL016-015006-). In 1937 Dr. Adolf Mahr asserted that the tau cross might be part of a La Tene tradition but Rynne (1967, 162) concluded that given the topographical association with the other representations of tau-croziers in conjuction with affinities of style with other adjacent monuments, it was in fact a Romanesque boundary marker. The cross (H 0.43m; Wth across the arms 0.69m; D 0.18m) was aligned NE-SW in its original location and was set in a large boulder-like outcropping rock. It has a carved head facing upwards on each ‘arm’ with three raised transverse ribs placed centrally between them. MacMahon (2017, 97) postulates that these ribs symbolize a wound of decapitation and that the Christian church modified the pagan Celtic theme of the severed head to its own purpose as a symbol of Christian martyrdom. The heads are identical with hoods and long straight necks and they face the centre. Each arm is slightly raised above horizontal and is curved underneath. The shaft is rectangular (Wth 0.29m; D 0.15m) with three chamfered edges. A photograph taken by Westropp in 1894 (Harbison 2009, 32) when the cross had been returned after 30 years shows a round-ended stone beside the cross which may have formed the bottom of the shaft. This fragment (L 0.48m; Wth 0.28m; T 0.1m)(CL016-052004-) is in the OPW Depot in Athenry where it has the number GA084-151005-. Apparently the fragment does not fit the base of the existing shaft and so another interim portion must have fitted in between. If this is the case the cross would have been more than 1.5m (c. 5ft) high originally. This is a national monument in State care, no. 574. (MacNamara 1900, 22-9; Rynne 1967; Harbison 2000; Harbison 2009) The following images are attached: CL017-116003-_01.jpg The tau cross in its original setting. CL017-116003-_02.jpg The top of the tau cross in its original setting. CL017-116003-_03.jpg The tau cross in its current setting. CL017-116003-_04.jpg The replica at the original location of the tau cross. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 6 May 2015